NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighs Netanyahu arrest ahead of UN General Assembly visit

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's team continues to review whether to issue an order for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his planned trip to the city for the UN General Assembly in September, according to a report from the New York Times on Saturday.

"I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague," Mamdani stated during an appearance on the NYT podcast The Interview with host Lulu Garcia-Navarro this week.

"He is a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court," Mamdani continued. "Many people share this view because of the consequences of his actions over the past several years."

Although Mamdani is engaged in active discussions with New York City's legal department regarding a possible detention, he noted uncertainty about whether he holds the legal power to instruct the New York Police Department to take Netanyahu into custody.

"We will follow whatever the law permits in New York City, but we will not create new laws for this purpose," Mamdani explained.

Netanyahu accuses Mamdani of backing Hamas

Netanyahu recently spoke on the radio program Sid and Friends in the Morning and responded to Mamdani's statements. The prime minister expressed no concern and accused the mayor of supporting Hamas following the October 7 attacks.

"Who does he champion? Hamas, that openly calls for the massacre of every Jew on earth and carried out that terrible attack, the worst against Jews since the Holocaust," Netanyahu said in the interview.

"He should examine who he is condemning and who he is praising," Netanyahu added. "He condemns Israel, the sole democracy that aligns with American values."

Netanyahu further linked opposition to Israel with opposition to America and suggested that Mamdani secretly opposes the United States as well.

Akunis states Mamdani lacks power to detain Netanyahu

Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, addressed Mamdani's remarks on Saturday and asserted that the mayor lacks any authority to seek Netanyahu's arrest.

"Rather than focusing on issues outside his control, he should concentrate on managing New York City," Akunis remarked.

Mamdani has advocated for Netanyahu's arrest for some time and indicated during his 2025 mayoral campaign that he would direct the NYPD to detain the prime minister in line with the ICC warrant related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, which Mamdani has described as a genocide.

US President Donald Trump previously labeled Mamdani's earlier statements as inappropriate and indicated he would intervene if the mayor attempted to proceed. Trump has not commented on the latest developments.

Netanyahu discussed the ICC warrant in a December 2025 interview prior to Mamdani assuming office.

"No army has done as much as Israel to remove civilians from danger, while Hamas has worked to keep civilians in harm's way," he said.